Never Say Goodbye
by Flibber T. Gibbet
Summary: Naruto had the perfect present for Sasuke. But he didn't say goodbye before he went to get it...


Never Say Goodbye

Flibber T. Gibbet

Rated: T

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters don't belong to me, nor am I making any money off this.

Warnings: possible OOCness, character death, and the customary crappy writing

Notes: This is for Frenchie, one of my best friends. I love you, Frenchie, and merry Christmas, since I couldn't buy you a present, here you go! I hope you like it...

-o-

Naruto glanced at his watch, waiting for the glowing digits to read 11:30. Three minutes left... two minutes left... one minute left... 11:30. Smiling in anticipation, he stood up and started to walk towards the bedroom to say goodbye to Sasuke before he left. Just outside the door, he changed his mind and moved towards the door leading out of the apartment. He would be back before Sasuke woke up, and he didn't have very many good excuses to explain why he was leaving.

Naruto definitely couldn't tell Sasuke the real reason. How could he?

He shut the door behind him, careful not to wake the sleeping Sasuke. Once he was safely out of the apartment, he ran down the stairs skipping the last three steps at each landing.

He just knew it was going to be great. It had to be, with all the work he had put into it. He was still grinning proudly as he pulled his car out of the apartment garage.

He had only been driving for a few minutes when his phone rang. The almost obnoxiously loud ringtone clashed violently with the serene silence of the night, and Naruto winced before he picked up his phone from the passenger seat and flipped it open.

"Welcome to Konoha Cemeteries. If you're here to speak to a deceased loved one, I'm sorry, they're currently at their weekly spa session. If you'll leave your name and most prized possession, we'll get back to you," Naruto said flatly, his voice giving no indication of the broad grinning splitting his face.

"Dude. Not now. It's flippin' late and I want to go home, dammit!" Kiba was _not_ whining. He wasn't, he wasn't, he wasn't!

"Don't piss your pants or anything, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"You better be, or... never expect any ramen from me again."

"That's low."

"Drastic times call for drastic measures."

"Whatever. I'll be there."

Still fuming about the ramen comment, he turned his car sharply into the small street next to Kiba's store. He wrapped his jacket around him tighter as he got out of his car.

"It's cold outside," greeted Naruto when he walked into the warmly lit store. He was back to grinning widely. This was going to be the ultimate gift, the present of all presents, the one that puts all others to shame.

And best of all, it was going to be a total surprise. Sasuke had absolutely no clue what Naruto had been planning, and it was going to stay that way until it was the day to give the gifts. The grin faded and a genuine smile curved his lips as he thought about how Sasuke would react.

"I have to admit, it's a good gift. He'll love it," said Kiba, breaking the silence. His store was a small one with shelves full of odd knickknacks covering all four walls. Across from the door was a counter with the cash register, and it was behind this counter that Kiba stood, with a rectangular package on the surface before him.

It was a rather plain package for something Naruto considered the greatest gift that ever graced the planet. It was also known as Sasuke's Christmas gift.

"Here" Kiba said as he pushed the brown paper covered rectangle towards the blonde. "He'll love it. Don't worry," he added, when he noticed Naruto's slightly worried look.

Naruto looked up curiously and then laughed. "Of course he'll love it. I'm just worried that I'm not getting anymore ramen out of you."

"Get out of my store, you idiot!" Kiba cried, wishing there was something handy that he could throw at the idiot he called his best friend.

Naruto was still laughing as he got into his car and drove off into the night. At random times, he would turn and look at the package sitting innocuously on the passenger seat. Inside the brown paper was a book. Normally, Naruto wasn't one for books, but this book was special.

First of all, it was old. And expensive. And rare.

And Naruto knew for a fact it was something Sasuke had wanted for quite some time. It was awhile before he realized a wide grin was splitting his face.

Naruto wondered if he was smiling more than usual tonight... well, he had good reason. He couldn't wait till Christmas to see Sasuke's reaction. Maybe he would smile, a sweet, slow curving of lips that made _life worth living_...

Maybe.

Flashing red lights appeared in his rearview mirror, accompanied by blaring sirens. He pulled over to the side of the road, and let the vehicles pass. Police cars, fire trucks, ambulances... _Must have been a __pretty big__ accident... Hope no __one's__ hurt too badly,_ Naruto thought as he pulled back onto the road, only a few blocks from his home.

Smoke greeted him before the sight of his apartment and his heart started beating faster. Speeding up, he saw the flicker of orange flames, brightening the night sky.

_NONONONONONONONONONONO_.

It couldn't be. He parked hurriedly and ran to the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles. A yellow tape cordoned off the apartment from bystanders. Inside the taped area, firefighters were running in and out of the burning building. The smoky air and the tightness - _the fear, the worry_ – in his chest made it hard to breathe.

He stood next to the yellow police tape, glaring at anyone who told him to him to move. He asked countless people if they had seen a pale, dark-haired man who lived on the seventeenth floor. He screamed Sasuke's name. He cried.

And he stood there into the morning, when all hope had ended. The fire had spread across four buildings. Over a hundred people were saved by the tireless efforts of the brave firefighters, medics, and policemen.

Countless lives had been lost in the accidental inferno.

Families stood with him, crying for their losses, just like he was for his. His mind strayed to the brown wrapped package sitting in the passenger seat of his car.

He never said goodbye to Sasuke before he left. He never kissed him and told him how much he loved him, how much he needed him.

And now, with the families that stood with him, he would have to live with the fact that he _never said goodbye_.

-o-

I've always thought about this... Yes, depressing, isn't it? But I always worry about it...

Anyway, this is for you, my lovely Frenchie. Your anus loves you!

Psst. Check out my new collab account, **EgoBoosters**, with **chibibble. **There's a link on my profile. Read and review, please!

I'm really sorry about all the delays in updates and stuff, but life has been utter _hell_.

If this deserves a review, please review.

so much love you can't even believe how much love it is,

ftg.


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